Whiplash (TV series)

The Australian Gold Rush in August 1851 shocks the world, resulting in hordes of adventurers flocking to the new land of golden dreams. The unfamiliar, violent and harsh landscapes catch the gold seekers by surprise. It takes a certain kind of settler to rise to the challenges of the new country that is despoiled by bushrangers, brutalised by the old convict system and torn apart by class conflict. Boston-born Christopher Cobb happens to be such a person on top of his natural courage, strength and resourcefulness, his previous experience gained in the Californian gold rush serves him well here too. His job is to find rights of way through the arid terrain of New South Wales, survey new lines of communication and secure lucrative contracts for his expanding stagecoach business. Though a gentleman who is no stranger to violence in all its forms and manifestations, in a land that has no sympathy for weaklings, Chris becomes whatever he needs to be.

Whiplash is a British/Australian television series made by the Seven Network and ATV and ITC Entertainment. Filmed in 1959-60, the series was first broadcast in September 1960 in the United Kingdom followed by Australia in February 1961 and had opening titles featuring the Australian locale and terrain and a dozen wild kangaroos as a Cobb & Co stage passed pulled by a team of five horses driven by Cobb himself.

Series Outline

Set in the 1860s, the series is a western filmed in Australia, and stars Peter Graves as “Christopher Cobb”. The series is loosely based on the life of Freeman Cobb, who was the genuine founder of Australia’s first stagecoach line Cobb and Co. Peter Graves, in his character of Christopher Cobb, did not carry a pistol and often used a bullwhip to settle disputes. He carried a rifle and used it on more than one occasion.

The series stands out from other television western series of its era in that the guest casts are composed of actors available in Australia, so none of the character actors so ubiquitous in American westerns, aside from Graves himself, appear at all.

Created by Michael Noonan and Michael Plant and produced by Maury Geraghty and Ben Fox at the Artransas Studios, (owned by ATV), Sydney Australia. Post production was completed in the United Kingdom.